Frog legs are a famous French dish consisting of the legs of frogs, cooked in a wide variety of ways. Also known as Cuisses de Grenouilles, frog legs can either be grilled, stewed in a soup, stir-fried, baked, boiled, sautéed or battered and fried.
Frogs legs are known to be packed with nutrients, including protein, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and potassium. As far as the taste and texture is concerned, frog meat shares a lot of similarities with chicken and fish.
Frogs legs are also consumed in other parts of the world like China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, and the Southern U.S.
Origin & Cultural Significance
It is believed that the consumption of frog legs in France dates back to the 12th century when church authorities had ordered the monks to not consume meat on a specific number of days a year. Those monks somehow managed to get frogs to be counted as fish, meaning that they could consume meat much more often than was theoretically allowed. It was many years later that the French peasants also started to consume frogs legs.
Cuisses de Grenouilles is predominantly famous in eastern France. It is in the town of Vittel that the residents gather every year to celebrate a frog festival where the locals consume several tons of frog legs. Held every year in April, this festival has been celebrated for more than 40 years.
French Frog Legs Recipe
Frog legs are a famous French dish consisting of the legs of frogs, cooked in a wide variety of ways. Also known as Cuisses de Grenouilles, frog legs can either be grilled, stewed in a soup, stir-fried, baked, boiled, sautéed or battered and fried.
Ingredients
- Frog legs - 1 1/2 to 2 lb
- Salt - 1 tbsp
- Milk - 1 cup
- Black pepper - 1 tbsp
- Flour - 1 cup
- Garlic cloves (sliced very thin) - 3
- Lemon juice - 2 to 3 tbsp
- Clarified butter - 10 tbsp (divided)
- Fresh minced parsley - 2-3 tbsp
Instructions
- Take the frog legs and soak them in milk. Keep the bowl in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Meanwhile, take another bowl and add salt, black pepper and flour in it. Mix properly. Chop the garlic and parsley.
- Now, take a large frying pan and melt 5 tablespoons of the butter in it. Keep in mind that the pan should be large enough to accommodate all the frog legs at once. If you don’t have a pan as large, place a baking sheet in the oven and, keep a rack inside. You can store half the fried frog legs here while you fry the rest.
- Set the oven to 180°F. And if you have a large pan, place the baking sheet with the rack set inside next to the stovetop.
- Now, take the frog legs and evenly coat them with seasoned flour. Get rid of the excess flour. Transfer the frog legs to the pan with melted butter and fry on medium-high heat. Make sure to let it cook until it turns golden in color. This should take you about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- Remember that the flour coating is very delicate. So, if you can help it, try to flip it once.
- Once the legs are done, place them on the rack to drain the excess oil.
- Now remove the butter in the pan, and using a paper towel, properly clean it. Place it on the stove again and add butter. Heat over medium-high flame.
- Once the butter gets hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Turn off the flame and add in the lemon juice.
- Combine the parsley with the prepared sauce. Assemble the frog legs on individual plates and pour the parsley-sauce mixture over it and there you have it! Your frog legs are ready to be eaten!
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 686Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 21gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 12gCholesterol: 257mgSodium: 1981mgCarbohydrates: 30gFiber: 2gSugar: 4gProtein: 62g